When we teach ChiRunning®, many people notice that good posture changes the line of their eyesight. Before lifting the crown of your head, your chin is most likely slightly lifted. Notice, right now, where your chin is, then gently lift through the back of the neck and lift your crown (the back of the top of your head) into the air. Don’t push or force. Just a gentle lift. Your chin will come down slightly when you do this…and so will your line of vision.

Whether I'm doing ChiRunning, ChiWalking or my everyday ChiLiving, the one thing that never changes is that I'm in my body. It's where I do my most important work… my deeper study. It's my school. My current course of study is to be present as I encounter the world in each moment.

Have you ever spent the day hiking in Nature and come back feeling alive and refreshed… even though your body is pleasantly tired? Or, felt really great after seeing a close friend? Or refreshed after a good night's sleep? All of these are examples of the movement of chi in your direction. It's the most basic definition of nourishment… to gather chi.

Every breath you take, every move you make (enter the distinct guitar sounds of The Police’s wildly popular 1983 hit) is controlled by your brain’s innate timing system. Whether physical movements or production of thoughts, your brain’s ability to time these magical feats appropriately is the difference between unnoticed normal everyday functioning and disastrous consequences.

I’ve always been a runner. In my 20s and 30s, I was what I later came to learn was a “power runner”, running 3 miles a few times a week, usually as fast as I could. I had plenty of injuries back then and still have the oversized calves to show for it! In 2000, I met Danny and took a 1 hour lesson – just the basics: posture, lean and leg lift.

While driving from Asheville, NC down to Hilton Head, SC a couple of weeks ago I was dumbstruck by a billboard covered with a Rebel flag. Emblazoned across it in a huge swirly font were the words, "Never Forget." Those words struck my heart like a dagger filled with sadness, and I thought to myself, "Wow, someone out there is still carrying a grudge held by their ancestors more than 150 years ago."

This, of course, brought up the question, "Where in my life am I slow to change?" and "Where do I hold onto ways of thinking that no longer serve, either me or the greater good?"

None of us really want to feel pain when we walk or run. There are times when you might enjoy a satisfying burn during a workout, and perhaps a bit of an ache the next day. But pain that limits your ability to focus or enjoy life, can be scary. “What if this doesn’t change?” “Do I need to see a doctor?” The fear makes us avoid pain, often at great cost.

I was thrilled The Times wrote about this important topic. To me, the mind-body connection is one of the most important parts of healthy running and walking, but it is overlooked and often under utilized.

I'm not Catholic, but for almost 20 years now I've celebrated the forty days and forty nights of Lent. It's a time of year when some Christians give up something for forty days to represent the forty days before the Crucifixion when Jesus went into the desert and fought off the temptations of the Devil.

When I was growing up I used to really feel for the kids that had to give up something they liked to do, or liked to eat or whatever they were most attached to. I mean, geez… six weeks is a long time to go without. But, since I've adopted this practice as an adult, I have not only seen it's value, I actually look forward to it every year.

Newsletter

A Chi Running Love Letter

I wanted to take a minute to thank Danny and everyone involved at Chi Running. On January 1st 2010 I limped off the Buckeye Trail in NE Ohio with another pulled calf muscle, I have to admit I was done running.